MANILA — At least three people died after the shear line and Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) stirred rains in parts of the country in late December, the Office of Civil Defense said Thursday. 

“Dahil nga ho sa sunod-sunod na epekto ng tinatawag nating shear line at yung ITCZ, yung intertropical convergence zone — apektado ho kasi n’yan hindi lang Davao, kundi Region 2, 11, and 12, kasama na rin ang Mimaropa — may kabuuan na po tayo as of Dec. 30 na tatlong namatay,” said OCD Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno.

“May dalawang nawawala,” he told TeleRadyo Serbisyo.

Rains from the ITCZ spawned floods and landslides in parts of Davao Occidental, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental on Dec. 26, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Wednesday.  

It said the ITCZ affected some 16,316 families and damaged at least 1,074 houses.

Authorities will coordinate with the state weather bureau on beefing up preparations for the shear line and ITCZ, Nepomuceno said.

“Yung lebel ho ng preparasyon na ating ginagawa tuwing may papasok na bagong bagyo, maganda na ho… Subalit pagdating sa shear line, talagang kailangan pa nating paangatin ang lebel ng paghahanda dahil parang nagkakagulatan po sa mga komunidad,” he said.

The ITCZ on Thursday will continue affecting Visayas, Mindanao, and Palawan, while the shear line will affect the eastern sections of Northern and Central Luzon, PAGASA said.

It said Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao, Aurora, Quezon and Camarines Norte could experience around 2 to 4 inches of rain.